The term hip-hop encompasses not only a musical genre but also a culture, based initially in New York, that incorporated DJ-ing, MC-ing, breaking and graffiti. DJs developed 'turntablist' techniques involving two turntables and a mixer but these were superseded and, indeed, revolutionised by the advent of digital sampling techniques in the 1980s. In the meantime, MC-ing or rapping developed – the speaking or chanting of highly rhythmic lyrics, which became elevated to new levels of poetic sophistication during the genre's so-called 'golden age' in the late-1980s.
This day school will chart the cultural history of hip-hop from its origins in 70’s New York and the explosion of hip-hop innovation in New York’s Black suburbs of the late-1980s, paying close attention to New York’s post-Civil Rights history of race, class and geography. It will expand outwards to explore the genre's regionalisation from the 1990s, ultimately exploring its profound and extended influence on Black popular music in the UK.
Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 UTC on 5 March 2025.